Mining car



I. B. WATHEN INING OAR Filed June 1-3. 1923 4 INVENTOR" I MW 13. Wn THE/V.

ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 3, 1925.

UNITED- STATE-SI IVANB; wn'rnnn, ornnvtnnsnune, PENNSYLVANIA.

MINING can.

Ap ucatioamewune 18, 1923. Serial no. 645,059.

To all whom it may concern: V I 7 Be it known that. I, IVAN B. VATI-I-E'N, a3citizen of the United States, residing at Rimersburg. couuty'of Clarion, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mining Cars, of which the'fol-lowing is a specification.

The principal "object of this invention to provide a new and improved construction of a mine car of simple and inexpensive construction.

Considered in its more specific aspects, my invention resides in the manner of mounting the wheel axles to the car so as to permit the wheels to follow irregularities in the tracks and thereby overcome the tendency of the cars in common and general use to jump the tracks when an uneven stretch of track is encountered or when the car passes over the switches of the jump type which are commonly used inthe construction of the roadways in mines. Again because of the fact that the roadbeds of the underground railways in the mines are not usually ballasted, the rails have many sags, and as in the usual construction of the mine cars, the wheel axles are rigidly secured to the car bodies, wherever a sag or low point occurs the wheels cannot accommodate themselves to these inequalities of the rails thereby causing the cars to frequently jump the tracks. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an axle mounting that will be no more expensive to construct than the present rigid constructions while overcoming the defects of the present construetions.

For the accomplishment of these and such further objects as will hereinafter be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this appertains, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts herein specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations andmodifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended. In the drawings forming a portion of this specification: Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a car embodying my invention, showing the relative position of the car body 'and axle when passing over a level stretch of track.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing Y the car passing-over an uneven'stretch of track.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line33 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the carshowingthe positions ofa wheel when passing over a low stretch of track.

As shown in the drawings, thenumeral'lO indicates generally the body of a mine car to the bottom 11 of which are securedtwopairs of guides 12, there being one pair of said guides for each axle and the members of each pair of guides being arranged in alignment transversely of and adjacent each side of the car.

As will be seen in Fig. 3 of the drawing, these guides 12 are preferably constructed of a bar of flat metal forged or bent to form a substantially U shaped loop structure which is secured as by the bolts 13 to the bottom of the car.

The axle 14, the main portion of which is of substantially rectangular cross-section, is slidably received between the legs of the U shaped guide 12, and suitably secured to each of the vertical sides of the axle adjacent each of the guides is a retaining plate 15 to prevent movement of the axle. longitudinally of its axis, but permitting vertical movement of the axle within the guides. The end of each plate 15 adjacent the guide is arcuate in shape as indicated by the numeral 16 to permit the axle to assume an inclined position as shown in Fig. 2.

The operation of the device will be readily understood by referring to Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings. Assuming that one of the wheels encounters a low or sagged stretch of track upon only one rail, the car will not ride along with only three wheels in contact with the rails as with the rigidly secured axle constructions, but the axles be ing mounted in the guides 12 for a free floating vertical movement, the wheels will follow the rails as shown in Figs. 2 and 4:, thus preventing derailment of the car.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A minecar having a pair of, U shaped guide members secured thereto for each axle, the members of each pair being arranged in alignment transversely of the car, an axle of rectangular cross section having wheels rotatably secured thereto mounted for free floating vertical movement in each pair of guide membersand plates on the sides of said axle to prevent longitudinal movement while permitting vertical movement thereof.

2. A mine car having a body, a pair of U shaped guide members secured to the bottom of said body, an axle having the main por tion thereof of substantially rectangular cross section slidably received Within the legs of said U shaped guide members for free floating vertical movement therein and means to prevent movement of said axle longitudinally of its axis While permitting said vertical movement, said means comprising a plate secured to each of the vertical side portions of said rectangular axis adjacent to each of the legs of said U shaped guide members.

3. A mine car having a body, a pair of U shaped guide members secured to the bottom of said body, an axle having the main portion thereof of substantially rectangular cross section slidably received Within the legs of said U shaped guide members for free floating vertical movement therein and means to prevent movement of said axle longitudinally of its axis While permitting said vertical movement, said means comprising a plate secured to each of the vertical side portions of said rectangular axis adjacent to each of the legs of said U shaped guide members, each of said plates having its end adjacent said guide member of arouate shape to permit said axle to assume a position inclined to the horizontal.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

' IVAN B. ATHENQ 

